


Colors

by echoflowertea



Series: Living [5]
Category: Undertale (Video Game)
Genre: F/M, Reader Is Not Frisk, reader is female
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-04-26
Updated: 2016-04-26
Packaged: 2018-06-04 09:05:22
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,169
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6651574
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/echoflowertea/pseuds/echoflowertea
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a hangout with Sans, he becomes distant. You deserve to know why.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Colors

**Author's Note:**

> **NOTE** : reader's SOUL is purple. 
> 
> check out my newest chapter of [humble beginnings](http://archiveofourown.org/works/6538750/chapters/14959207) where it's discussed if you haven't read it already! that fic is sort of prequel to this series!
> 
> i update tuesdays and fridays!!!

Things had been kind of…off with Sans lately.

You weren’t sure why the dynamic changed. He was always down to kick it with you when you put the offer on the table. When you hung out, you could spend hours together doing nothing and just enjoying each other’s presence. Being Aboveground now meant that the two of you led busy lives, working to put food on the table and pay rent. So when you did have a moment to yourselves, you made it a point to see what the other was doing.

Except that you hadn’t heard from Sans in over a week.

Maybe he just had a lot on his mind. There was so much to absorb being on the surface. Every day was a plethora of new experiences for him. He had to learn all about how things worked up here and adapt. He was smart as hell and – even though Papyrus would disagree – motivated to make things go well for him and his brother.

Still. It had been a whole year since you moved up here. He’d settled into a routine of sorts, tested his boundaries and found his comfort zone. It just seemed a little odd that the guy you considered your best friend, and the person who willingly chose to spend time with you on his day off, hadn’t bothered to call or text for so long.

The last time you hung out was at his place. He had been showing you the beginnings of his workshop in the basement. When you heard how he used to work with Alphys, you were appalled. You convinced him to conduct his own research in his spare time, to get back into the groove of inventing and experimenting. He _loved_ science, and it was kind of fucked up that he put that interest on the backburner to manage an auto shop to make the bread.

You remembered exactly how it went down. You stood next to him while he pointed out the various tools that he would be using and their purpose. What other things he needed to order before he got started. You headed to the insane chemistry set he had on display and marveled at the row of test tubes filled with colorful liquids.

“So what is this?”

“mostly just trying to brush up on basic stuff. it’s been a long time.” He beckoned for you to follow him. “check this out. i got somethin’ just for you.”

“Impress me.”

He ambled over to one beaker filled with a clear solution and one a brilliant amber, with a graduated cylinder carrying a bright orange color. You watched him get some kind of stirring plate and a magnetic stir bar as well. When he set everything up, he gestured toward the two containers on the left.

“here, pour the first one into there.”

You weren’t sure where he was going with this, but obliged anyway. He went through the instructions step by step. Clear first, then amber, then orange. You stepped back to watch what would happen, his eyes bright and waiting with bated breath.

The spinning vortex of liquid changed colors right before your eyes.

It shifted with the passage of time, going from murky to crystal clear, your vision fixed on the almost magical experience. So this was why he was so enamored and why he called you down here.

“All of the seven traits,” you laughed shakily, thinking back to your conversation hundreds and hundreds of nights ago. “This is so cool.”

“tried to find some way to show you. figured we could go through ‘em this way.” He hadn’t brought up that question since you asked it, and you hadn’t tried to pester him about it.

“bravery.” Orange.

“justice.” Yellow.

“kindness.” Green.

“patience.” Light blue.

“integrity.” Dark blue.

He paused at the purple color and you eyed him with a smile. “Perseverance.”

“determination.” Red.

That was all of them. The cycle began again, but it was still just as enchanting as it was before. You sat down on a stool near the spinning solution, gaze fixed. Sans joined you for a while, but when you happened to glance at him, he was staring directly at you.

“Thanks for this. I never…” You leaned forward. “I never thought I’d get to see anything like this. You put a lot of thought into this.”

“sure did.”

“You’re a really good friend, Sans.”

You weren’t sure what you said. You meant it to be a compliment. But his smile strained. Tightened to the point where you could feel your cheeks hurt just by looking at him. His eyes dipped down, changed shape, enough that he looked like he was in pain. You drew back in surprise and stammered out something that sounded like an apology, not knowing how you must have offended him enough for his usual façade to break.

“A-are you okay?”

“sure, pal. just fine.” His eyesockets slid shut. “welp. i’ll get this cleaned up.”

“Oh. You sure you don’t want to work on something while you’re here? I can just watch.”

“nah. i uh…heh. y’know, actually. i’m kinda tired. long week. maybe we should cut this short.”

He stopped the mixing plate and the display came to a halt. You already felt empty knowing that it would revert back to its original color.

“Alright. I don’t want to bug you. Just get some rest, okay?”

“yeah. sure.”

You climbed up the stairs from the basement to the living room. You edged toward the door and Sans followed, his steps more lethargic than usual.

“I hope you’re feeling better tomorrow. Just text me when you want to hang out.”

“you got it.”

“And if you need to talk…I’m down. You know that, right?”

“ok.”

You pulled the handle and saw yourself out, not wanting to look back and catch a glimpse of that hurt expression. “Bye, Sans.”

That was it. A neat little bonding experience and then…nothing. Papyrus never mentioned anything about it to you. While the brothers were close, they knew their boundaries. They didn’t sit there and drill you on what you talked about separately. They understood that your relationships differed and that if the other sibling wanted to share something, he would.

So you didn’t bring it up to him. Or anybody, really. You didn’t want Undyne shoving her nose in something and making it worse. Because you loved her, but she really did put too much stock in anime. Alphys, too. Plus, it was kind of personal and a little embarrassing to admit that you had somehow upset someone that you thought you knew to a tee.

The week without contact was…weird. You tried not to think about it too much, and you did hang out with everyone else in the meantime. But it seemed like Sans was purposefully avoiding you. He never showed up to dinner when you stayed over to cook with Papyrus. When you dropped by his work to see if he was there, his co-workers said that he left early or just stepped out.

At first you were upset. Then you got angry. If he had a problem with you, he should’ve just told you. He knew that you would never do anything to piss him off on purpose. There were still a lot of things that you didn’t know about monster culture and you were more than willing to learn.

But that was selfish, you realized. Your ignorance didn’t trump his own feelings if you made some kind of faux pas. And he had every right to take the time he needed to cool off or…whatever he was doing. You just wished you knew what the hell happened. Did you miss some kind of social cue? Did you not react the way that he wanted? Were you not appreciative enough of the gesture?

You wanted to clear your head and grab something to eat after work, so you popped on over to Grillby’s bar.

Maybe a small part of you hoped that Sans would be there, but another part of you wished that he wasn’t. If he didn’t want to see you, you wouldn’t force him. But you used to hang out here all the time Underground, and it had been too long since you had one of Grillby’s world famous burgers.

It being so late at night, there weren’t too many customers. Most people had up and gone home to relax before heading off to bed. You slipped onto the stool at the bar. Usually you’d find a seat at a booth, but you felt awkward separating yourself from him if you were gonna be the only one eating.

“Hi, Grillby! Can I have the usual? Thanks!”

His flames flickered and he set down the cup he’d been drying. You heard him shuffle off toward the kitchen to call out the order. Since his business expanded, he had a lot more help in running the place. He’d hired a couple of promising cooks to make sure that he wasn’t understaffed. The best part was that he’d taught all of his staff how to give that extra flare to his menu that you so desperately loved.

When he returned, he gazed at you through his glasses. Grillby wasn’t a very talkative guy, but when he did speak, it was an honor. He was an old SOUL, and his voice was quiet enough to miss. He took care in what he said, mostly because he communicated through emotions rather than words.

_“….where’s Sans?”_

You swallowed and fumbled with your hands on the counter. Jeez. With him this close, it was getting a little hot in here. You were used to warm temperatures, but being questioned by someone added that much more of a reason for you to squirm. “Oh. I think he’s mad at me, so I didn’t invite him.”

Grillby gave you the equivalent of a frown.

“No, not like that. He’s just seemed more uncomfortable lately. I thought I’d give him his space, y'know?”

He didn’t seem to get it. He left the counter to grab your plate. The fries were crisp and warm, just enough that they didn’t scald your taste buds and were seasoned with just the right amount of salt. You bit into them and felt it crunch. Perfection. You let out a sigh and happily dug in, the bartender himself busy mixing together your favorite drink to go with it. He really was a nice dude.

He placed it in front of you and as you took a sip, he cocked his head.

You swallowed. “I’ve never really seen him get mad before, true. I just don’t want him to force himself to hang out with me.”

Still wary of you, but understanding more. Grillby wasn’t exactly the type to pry into people’s problems; he was more of a listener than an instigator. It came with the job of serving customers drinks. And really, you never got the sense that he was being judgmental or trying to get under your skin. He was used to seeing all sorts come in and out of his place and serving them with the same amount of respect they gave him.

You glanced at the poster behind his head. “No luck in finding a waitress, huh?”

The upright flames on top of his head crackled.

“Hehe, yeah, I feel you. Sorry, I don’t have any experience and I doubt you’d want someone tossing food on people by accident.” It would be cool to work here. Not to mention that the employees must’ve gotten some kind of discount. That would do wonders on your bank account.

You got an idea. “I know! I could totally help you interview people! It’ll be fun!”

Grillby shook his head and darted off to the register. He was pretending to count gold and cash. Gosh, you never thought of him as the easily flustered type.

You finished your burger as quickly as you could and headed back to where he was, leaving your empty plate where it sat. Leaning over the counter, you made it a point to gain his full attention.

“C’mon, Grillbz. It’s the least I can do.”

He shied away again, moving toward one of the tables to wipe it up with a rag. He scrubbed hard at the wood like it was covered in slime from the…messier types of monsters that came in.You could clearly see through his act, though.

You moved between him and the table he pinpointed next, reaching out to take the rag from his trembling fingers. “You deserve to be happy up here, just like everyone else.”

The door jingled. Grillby glanced over and snatched his hands away from you. When you glanced over your shoulder, you saw a familiar skeleton grinning back at you.

“hey.” He glanced over to the side. “seems like you two are hitting it off in here. am i uh, interrupting?”

You were at a loss for words. His tone seemed kind of…venomous. You’d only ever heard him use it when he threatened some of the more obnoxious humans on the surface. To have it directed at you was a little jarring. “No.”

“you sure?”

“Yes. Um…I was just leaving.” You couldn’t help it. This was wrong. The atmosphere was off. It was too tense. You couldn’t look at either of them and you wanted to get out of here. Seeing him for the first time in so long, and have him act so distant, like you weren’t friends any more…it hurt a lot.

You headed toward the exit, which happened to be right behind him.

“heh. don’t let me stop all your fun. wouldn’t want to come between you two.”

Grillby said something behind you, but you couldn’t quite catch it. The blood swam in your head and you had a million other things to occupy your thoughts. You just had to get outside and away from all this.

“I actually remembered I have to…do some laundry, so I’ll text you later! Bye!”

About halfway down the street you realized you forgot to pay your bill. Shit! You didn’t mean to. You really hoped he knew that. You paused on the sidewalk and glanced in the bar’s general direction, but talked yourself out of it. No.

When you turned back around to get on your way, you nearly jumped out of your skin.

Sans stood there, hands in his hoodie pockets, grinning up at you without a care in the world. “kinda rude for you to leave me hangin’.”

You furrowed your brow and made a move to go around him. “I’m kind of in a hurry.”

“pal. buddy. you got somethin on your mind. let me help ya out.”

He was really going to do this. He hated when people lied, but you couldn’t help feeling like you had to make up some excuse, bullshit or not. Now it felt like he was just bullying you.

“It-it’s fine! Really!”

Sans looked just as uncomfortable as you felt. He let out a long sigh, then reached up and scratched the back of his skull. “look, i dunno if grillbz has a type. he’s a private kinda guy. but if you’re honest, hardworking, and willin’ to look past the monster thing…then it seems like you’re a match enough for me.”

What was he talking about? You squinted at him. He must’ve overheard your conversation about the waitress issue. So he was…what? Encouraging you to be the one to help Grillby find a new employee? The vote of confidence was…reassuring, you guessed. Then why was he being so weird about it?

“Oh. That’s…really insightful. Thanks. I’ll keep it in mind and…” You hesitated. Sans took time out to track you down and let you know about how he felt. That was uncharacteristic of him. You knew that despite whatever hangups he had with you and the science experiment incident, you had to at least try to smooth things over. “I really appreciate the effort. I know it must be hard.”

He looked downright embarrassed. “heh, don’t mind me. i’m rootin’ for ya.”

“Yeah. I’m just trying to do right by him, you know? He’s always looked out for me and I’ve never tried to return the favor.”

“welp. lemme know when your first big date is, i’ll convince my bro to make somethin’ special. good luck. i’m happy for ya.”

He didn’t seem very happy, because you saw even less of him for the next few days.

Your fingers hovered over the keyboard. You could bring it up to Papyrus. He must not have thought anything was wrong if he hadn’t contacted you first, but this was just…strange. And Sans was the type of person that just hid shit away rather than deal with it. He wouldn’t want to confide in his younger brother. He took his business very seriously and would suffer in silence rather than give a single cry for help, which was just fucking annoying.

_Do it_ , a part of you said. He needed a reality check.

_Don’t_ , the other part countered. You shouldn’t push him and risk damaging your friendship even further.

You locked the screen and sighed in exasperation. Just when you decided to find something else to do, it started to buzz.

_Saaaaaans_ _is calling._

Well. That was a coincidence. You frowned. You kind of wanted to be That Asshole and completely ignore him, since he was so content to do the same to you all this time. But you did miss him.

“Hello?”

There was a pause on the other line, as if he was surprised you’d picked up. “hey uh, you busy?”

You glanced down at the bag of chips on your lap and the TV blaring. “No, what’s up?”

“got any…plans with grillbz later?”

Weird question. “No. Why?”

“you uh, ever find someone to fill his help wanted opening?”

Oh, you almost forgot about that. Last week you’d gotten together with Grillby and cranked out a long list of potential hires.

“Yeah! They’re name’s Ro, they’re really nice. I can’t wait for you to meet them, actually. I told them all about you once I saw them looking at ads for open mic night. They’re trying to get a break as a singer, though, so it turns out they didn’t really need you as a connection.”

“glad things worked out. uh…so…”

“Are you okay?” You heard him pull out something soft and brush it against the receiver. It must’ve been his handkerchief, which meant one thing. “You’re sweating.”

“heh. yeah. just a little hot in here. so…if you’ve got the night free, let’s go out.”

This was unexpected. “Whoa, seriously? Sure. Where’d you have in mind?”

“the usual.”

You met up at Grillby’s. It was just warm enough inside where you felt comfortable to peel off your jacket. Sans kept his on, as he was pretty attached to it. You thought he used it as a security blanket more than anything, which you understood completely.

He was already waiting for you at your favorite booth, having ordered you a couple of drinks.

“heya. good to see you.”

You slipped in front of him and rubbed your arm, feeling a little lost. “Um, same here. Sans…are you okay? It’s been a while since we’ve seen each other. I just wanted to say…if I offended you the day that I was hanging out in your lab…I’m sorry. Whatever it was, whatever line I crossed, I shouldn’t have, and if you tell me, I’ll make sure it doesn’t happen again.”

He immediately reached for the pitcher near you and guzzled the entire thing, blinking away the beads of perspiration that started down his temple.

Once it was empty, he set it down and wiped his mouth on his sleeve, his expression still pained.

“you didn’t do anythin’. i was the stupid one.”

“Then why…?”

He went quiet, the pinpricks of lights in his eyesockets extinguishing. You didn’t want to push him, but fuck, how could he say something like that and freeze up?

You stirred your drink with the tips of your fingers, disheartened. Maybe he didn’t trust you. Maybe he was embarrassed? That seemed like a safe bet. It was just so out of character for him. He did and said things and made a habit of not caring too much about people’s reactions, if only to gain a laugh out of them. He was unafraid to do silly things and act like a total dork, and that was what you really liked about him.

Grillby ended up at the table and you greeted him cheerfully, not wanting him to worry about the near-catatonic phase Sans seemed to be stuck in.

Ro shadowed him, lingering off to the side with a pad of paper and a pen.

The fire monster glanced at Sans and then back to you, the lenses in his glasses glinting.

“Um, I-I guess I can order for the both of us. He’ll have the usual, but I wanna try today’s special! How are you liking it, Ro?”

“Pfthaha! I’m havin’ a lot of fun. Grillby’s telling me all about certain restrictions on his regulars. Says you skipped out on a bill, so to keep an eye on you!”

You made a small noise of discontent. “Grillbz, don’t tell them stuff like that! I’ll have you know that I totally made it up to him by cleaning up after hours the other night, and it was a complete accident!”

Sans snapped out of his daze just fast enough to catch the end of your side of the story. “jeez, don’t tell me you’re one of those dine n’ dashers.”

“You’re one to talk, you’re just as bad with your ridiculous tab!”

“but i fully intend to pay him back.” He winked at you. “no need to get so _fired up_ , that’s Grillbz’s thing.”

Ro laughed just hard enough for you to know that they weren’t forcing it. “I can see why she likes you. Nice to meet you.”

They shook hands briefly. You made sure to kick Sans under the table so he wouldn’t pull any of his usual tricks. He spared you a glance, downright pleased with himself at your suspicion.

“Don’t let him sweet talk you too, Ro. He’s nothing but trouble.”

The two of them left in a hurry, as a few more people just happened to walk in. You were pleased that Ro was adjusting so well. Grillby’s could get really busy and a tad overwhelming now that he had expanded the restaurant on the surface, but Ro seemed to revel in it all. They were a performer, that was expected; it just seemed like such a great fit.

“you…seem to like ‘em.”

You glanced over at Sans and lifted a brow. “They’re nice. I know I’m a little weird, but when we talked, things just kind of flowed together. You know?”

“yeah.” His gaze flicked over to the side and he started to sweat again, fingers tapping against the table in an off rhythm. “i, uh…heh…it’s good to see ya makin’ new…friends.”

“Honestly? I’m surprised, too. Monsters are just…I don’t know. More understanding and compassionate than your average human. Someone like that meets me and they don’t make me feel weird for being different. It makes me happy.”

He looked like he wanted to say something, but opted not to.

You carried on like normal. The meal was filled with equal amounts of puns and laughter. Sans was more at ease than when you walked in, which was good to see. You really didn’t like the way he was acting before, and all of your worries faded with familiarity.

With your bellies full of delicious food and the lingering warmth of the inviting atmosphere inside, you and Sans left together. You held the door open for him as he said his goodbyes to everyone who greeted him when he walked in. It was a lot cooler outside, and you wished you could just have a few more minutes to appreciate the comfort of good friends and good food.

As you headed toward the parking lot, the door swung back open and Ro stepped out. They saw you and broke into a smile, sprinting over.

“Pfthaha, sorry! I meant to ask you earlier.” They pulled their phone out from their pocket. “Can I have your number? We should hang out sometime.”

You blinked and glanced around to make sure they were talking to you. They were. Sans stood off to the side, pretending to busy himself with kicking a piece of gravel that made its way into his path.

“Sure. Here, I’ll put it in your contacts.”

You punched it in and nervousness welled up in you. They liked you enough to want to talk outside of work, that was awesome. But there was still a small part of you that accused the interaction of being forced on their side.

“There you go.”

“Cool! Sans, what’s yours?”

You chuckled when you saw the look of surprise on his face. The both of them exchanged numbers, with Ro going on about how they’d love to stop by the comedy club and catch one of his shows. Then they whipped around and told you that they had about ten thousand ideas of songs they wanted to write because of you. You weren’t sure what to say about that, flattered beyond all belief, and they disappeared back into the restaurant just as quickly as they darted out.

You let out a shaky laugh, the both of you having made your way to your car. “That was really awesome. I think Paps would like them. Just imagine how much confidence would be overflowing in the room; I’d end up gaining the residual.”

Sans shot you a halfhearted smile. You didn’t like how his mood was turning.

“Are you okay?”

He scratched the back of his head. “listen. i should come clean.”

“Um…alright. What’s on your mind?”

You fumbled with the keys in your hand, heart sinking. This was it. He was going to sit there and tell you what you'd been dreading. That he didn't want to hang out any more, that you had a good run, but he wasn't feeling the friendship. You knew it sounded stupid, but why else would he be acting so strange?

“the other day. when i walked in. i thought you n’ grillbz were dating.”

Wait. _What?_  You watched his expression shift into that of embarrassment. This was clearly something he was not comfortable discussing, but he forced himself to anyway.

“Grillby? And me?” You busted out laughing. “Oh my GOD, this is just as bad as the time where you tried to guess who I romanced in Mass Effect! Why did you think that we…?”

“felt like i came in at a bad time,” he admitted. “looked like you were…holding hands, said you wanted him to be happy, i thought…”

This was Too Much. You turned away from him and tried to choke back your laughter. “Why? Like, yeah, that looked kind of suspect when you put it that way, but you could’ve just asked me!”

“thought it might’ve been…private.”

“Sans, we’re best friends. If I was dating the guy whose restaurant you practically lived in, I probably would’ve told you straight up. And honestly, like, he’s really nice, but I feel like we’ve only ever had a few actual conversations. Aside from the fact that he has a daughter in high school, I could probably fit what I know about him on one hand.”

He looked relieved. “yeah. i ended up asking him about it and kinda got the same reaction. said he thought you were cute, but way too young for him.”

“That’s…sweet, I think.” You covered your mouth with a hand, still trying to contain yourself.  “I’m sorry, it’s just…”

“yeah, yeah. i’m a real _bonehead._ ”

“No. I just…” You leaned against your car, gazing at him seriously. “If I were to be with someone, it would be a person I knew well. I don’t just crush on randos or monsters I’ve visited a few times.”

Okay, maybe frequenting the bar every other night Underground wasn't a few times, but you were sure he got the point.

He exhaled. “so. it ain’t because he’s not human.”

“Hell no. I’ve told you before that doesn’t matter to me. When I like someone, it’s because I trust them. Because I know that they wouldn’t hurt me. I’ve seen enough of them to know that they won’t leave, or get tired of me, or…”

A lump in your throat grew. Shit, not now! You stuffed it back down, not wanting to make this too heavy on him. Your hangups were yours to deal with. Alone. Sans had enough on his mind already.

“Fact is. We would be close before anything else. And even then, I would want them to make the first move, because I’m afraid.”

“of what?”

“Getting hurt, just like everyone else.” You shrugged, avoiding his eye contact. “Because nothing would be worse than losing them if they didn’t feel the same.”

“huh.”

“Hmm?”

“i've…got a lot to think about. hey. the other day, when i kicked ya out. that was on me. i just made myself sick and…took it out on ya. i won’t do it again.”

You exhaled shakily. You wouldn't ask him how he ended up feeling that way, but it meant enough that he confided that in you. And that last part? It wasn't a promise, but pretty damn close. You knew how much he hated making them, so for him to say something like that showed how serious he was about all this. “Thanks. I hate that feeling. It was like you cut me out completely. Life without you sucks, Sans. I want you around. It’s so weird not being with you.”

“same here.”

You unlocked the car door. It was getting way too dark for you to hang out any longer. “Do you need a ride? I could drop you off.”

“nah. nice night. i’ll take the scenic route.” He backed up, steps slow and deliberate, his dark gaze intense against the starry backdrop of the skyline behind him. “i’ll tell paps how you’re doin’, and uh…see you this weekend?”

You grinned, strangely airy after unloading so much on him. As usual, you assumed the worst and you were dead wrong. This was much better than what you'd anticipated. “Yeah! I’m looking forward to it. You’re gonna be so sick of me once I tell you all about what you missed.”

Both of you broke away from each other. You wondered if he felt just as content as you did in that moment, savoring the long and steady thrum of your heartbeat pounding in your chest.

**Author's Note:**

> you know that snowball game just outside of snowdin? i didn't even realize that your end result is supposed to tell you what color your SOUL is...
> 
> so what's yours?
> 
> OH YEAH. if you're interested in the experiment sans was doing, here's [a vid](https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ehIzNln90-I)!
> 
> like my fics? you could always [gimme a tip](https://ko-fi.com/A258IM)!


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